Going Shopping
The Strokes · Indie Rock
Reviewed 2026-04-11
The Roast
“Going Shopping is the latest single from a band that has spent the last decade making 'not bad' its entire artistic identity. Julian Casablancas sings like he just woke up on a flight he booked by accident, the guitars do the thing they always do, and the bassline is better than the song deserves. It is a Strokes song. It will be on the radio. You will tap your foot to it. Nothing about this is surprising and that is both the complaint and the compliment.”
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The Bright Side
At this point The Strokes have earned the right to phone it in, and Going Shopping is the good kind of phoned-in. Nick Valensi's guitar work is looser and more playful than anything on their last album, and the production by Rick Rubin adds a warmth that was missing from the last record.
Hardest Sneer
“The title is Going Shopping. The song is about Going Shopping. There are no layers here. Julian Casablancas has spent 25 years gesturing vaguely at modern life from behind sunglasses and we are supposed to be impressed that this time the gesture involves a retail experience.”
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